Lifestyle Sundays! What’s the deal with thigh gaps?

Hello everyone, We are starting to grow up in a society where anything you do or the way you look will be judged by one person or another. This is the sad reality of today and the media plays a large role in influencing the younger generation. Young people look up to people in the media and consider them role models. This can have a negative impact on youth because the media makes something look desirable which should not be. Today I want to take the time to discuss one crucial and sensitive subject that is gaining a lot of attention. The topic I will be discussing today is thigh gaps. The term itself is self-explanatory, it is the desire to achieve gaps between your thighs.

Thigh Gap vs No Gap!

Some of you have an idea of what I am talking about, this particular societal phenomena is popular throughout social media websites. Two years ago on the popular social networking website, Tumblr, I began noticing the thigh gaps craze. The demographic of my followers on my Tumblr blog are mainly teenage girls, majority of them were posting and reblogging pictures of models with thigh gaps. The captions underneath these photos were something along those lines: “Omg I wish I had a thigh gap”, “Ugh I’ll never have this” and “How can I get a thigh gap?” This societal trend is desired by many young girls and it is seen as something that should be achieved. It really boggled my mind when I read these captions because it makes me question, since when are thigh gaps a definition of physical beauty or beauty in general. This societal trend is not fairly new as some people think, the thigh gaps phenomena has always been a topic of conversation, even in the 90s and 70s. The media plays a huge role in giving this trend a lot more attention than it needs to get. I may be giving it attention right now with this blog post, however I am trying to convey that thigh gaps is not something to be desired. I see videos on YouTube with the title “How to Get a Thigh Gap” and it makes me question the people making this and why they think it’s ok to fuel this topic even more. Eating disorders has become on the top 3 psychological disorders in this day and age, along with anxiety and depression. There are many teenage girls and boys who suffer from this psychological disorder. Introducing body images trends such as thigh gaps or bridge gaps (yes that sadly exists too), makes the situation even worse. It makes young people believe that this how they should look and if they do they will be accepted by society. Everyone has different body types and that is what makes us unique and beautiful. There is no such thing as an ugly body type! Some bodies are structured in a way where getting the thigh gap cannot be achieved, for other people it is possible. However, wanting to have a thigh gap is not something that you should strive to accomplish because endangering your health is not worth it. Engaging is harmful eating habits should not be done, be kind to your body and love it the way it is. Growing up I never desired to have a thigh gap, I am skinny, but I still have curves and I am satisfied with not having a thigh gap. Not having a thigh gap does not make you any less of a person and if you are trying to get a thigh gap to fit in, don’t! The right group of people will accept you for who you are, those who try to change you are not your true friends. I have seen some horrific images of girls who are so skinny you can see their bones and all of this this was done to get a thigh gap. Trying to get a thigh gap can put your health in serious danger and eating disorders is not a laughing matter. Using this trend as a way to manipulate the minds of young people is disgusting, we want young people to grow up healthy and happy because they are our future. Achieving this is something that is genetically impossible, the truth is even the skinniest people do not have thigh gaps. Despite the fact that the media continuously tries to impose this “ideal” image in our heads, we now have celebrities who take a stance against this ideology. Jennifer Lawrence an Academy Award winning actress has made it very clear how she feels about Hollywood trying to change her and about influencing how she thinks about her body:

“What are gonna do? Be hungry, every single day, to make other people happy? That’s dumb.” In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress. I eat like a caveman. I’ll be the only actress that doesn’t have anorexia rumors! I’m never going to starve myself for a part. I’m invincable. I don’t want little girls to be like, “oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I’m going to skip dinner!”

Jennifer is not the only actress going against Hollywood and the media about the body image subject. Here are a few celebrities who have something to say about this issue:

“Being a size zero is a career in itself so we shouldn’t try and be like them. It’s not realistic and it’s not healthy.” Rihanna

“I believe it is important to go on insisting that normality is not what we are exposed to. Honestly, among my acquaintances there is no woman wearing XS. No, sorry, there is one: my daughter. The point is that Mia is 11 years old.” Kate Winslet

“God made a very obvious choice when he made me voluptuous; why would I go against what he decided for me? My limbs work, so I’m not going to complain about the way my body is shaped.” Drew Barrymore

“Girls of all kinds can be beautiful—from the thin, plus-sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain-skinned; the quirky, clumsy, shy, outgoing and all in between. It’s not easy though because many people still put beauty into a confining, narrow box… think outside of the box… pledge that you will look in the mirror and find the unique beauty in you.” Tyra Banks

“I keep telling myself that I’m a human being, and imperfect human who’s not made to look like a doll, and that who I am as a person is more important than whether at that moment I have a nice figure.” Emma Watson

“My smile is my favorite part of my body. I think a smile can make your whole body. I want women to know that it’s ok. That you can be whatever size you are and be beautiful inside and out.” Serena Williams

There you have it, people in the entertainment industry who are not afraid to speak up and say “I love the way I am and I am not changing”. The first step to loving yourself is to stop trying to change who you are. If you are changing yourself based on the ideology that you have this idea imposed on you that you have to change your body, you will be defeated. Do not live for other people’s opinions and judgments, if you truly love yourself you will not let people’s word affect you. This is a difficult journey to not let people’s word hurt you, but if you start now, each day will become easier. So start today and write down one thing you love about yourself everyday and do not starve and change the body God created, so you can accomplish an absurd societal trend. Let’s make the thigh gap trend ancient history!

Let me know in the comments box below what you think about this subject, I’m curious to know.